


Emergence of the Cave Goblin

by experimentorium



Series: pearlina week 2k20! [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Gen, Human AU, Mentions of alcohol, actually thinking back I couldve used this for summertime skies... well sigh lol, it's in the first paragraph after the break if any1 wants to skip, let's play how hard do you have to squint to find the subtext here, there's a beach there it follows the prompt, tw : nausea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24775936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/experimentorium/pseuds/experimentorium
Summary: Callie and Mariedidencourage Pearl to put herself out there, but this might've been a little overkill. At least Marina was there.(For Prompt 1: Beach Day) (check tags for any sensitive topics!)
Relationships: Callie & Marie & Marina & Pearl (Splatoon), Marina & Pearl (Splatoon), Marina/Pearl (Splatoon), mentions of marina/pearl... hints....
Series: pearlina week 2k20! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1791904
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Emergence of the Cave Goblin

**Author's Note:**

> A lovely twist of events! For pearlina week this year, I 've decided that for all non-explicitly canonverse-related prompts I will write aus. This has nothing to do with the fact that writing aus butters my roll just a little more than writing splatoon canonverse ... not at all... 
> 
> also why am I incapable of writing fics without some form of drinking in them???? I don't even drink.........

Pearl hates the beach. She hates the sun, and the sun hates her gross lack of melanin. The only thing she hates more than the beach during those midafternoon heat waves is the fact that she’s holed up in her hotel room, bitterly watching daytime television while her friends are out having a good time in the brutal sunshine. If Pearl goes out, she has to wear thirty layers of SPF one-fucking-million underneath a longsleeve swimshirt and joggers. She has to carry an umbrella or hide her hands and face under a towel so she doesn’t burn to a crisp, and all that effort isn’t worth the sand that gets stuck places you’d never expect it to go; so, she hides until late evening at least. Even when Callie and Marie come to break Pearl out of her self-imposed prison of fresh smelling linens and complimentary soaps, Pearl doesn’t feel she’s as into it as she should be. 

“Yoo-hoo, is the hermit home?” Callie knocks on the sliding glass door. 

“Eat a fat turd!” Pearl barks back, and Callie presses her forehead to the glass with a faux-entertained cackle.

“I’m breaking you out! Come on, Pearl!” Callie slides the door open, bare feet padding over the tile floor. “Beach time! Sun’s almost down! Outta the cave, pronto!” 

“I can see the beach fine from here,” Pearl grumbles, shoving a handful of barbeque chips into her mouth. “I gotta see who got chopped this round...” 

“Oy, cave goblin! You comin’ out here soon?” Marie’s voice wafts over Callie’s shoulder as she’s trying to pry the blanket away from where Pearl has it wrapped around herself.

“Go away! Tweedle dee’s already harassing me!” Pearl slaps Callie’s cheek as she reaches for the chips. “Stop it! I bought those!” 

“You can wear my cover-up if you want?” Marie adds, as if this will pique Pearl’s interest any.

“No thanks— _Callie!_ ” Pearl shouts once Callie decides to try and grab her by the legs and drag her out of bed. “ _What’s wrong with you_!”

“Let her be, Cal,” Marie chuckles, stepping into their room. Callie pauses where she has Pearl half-hauled off the mattress. “Come on, we’ll be out there until whenever… I think some of the guys are buying some cheap beer if you want to join…” 

Callie catches Mare’s drift and drops Pearl’s legs without warning. Pearl neglects to point out that men with watery alcohol and watery personalities are not a hook for her. 

“Ohh yeah… We’ll be, out there…” Callie nods slowly. “If you, wanna come join us… but, we won't bother you anymore…” she raises her eyebrows. “Sailor’s promise.”

“I would believe you,” Pearl humors her, “if you didn’t sound so much like the cap, _sailor’s promise_.”

“Don’t you dare insult my grandfather!” Callie shakes her fist, defending her family’s honor as Marie guides her by the shoulders back out the door, murmuring promise of “reverse psychology’s” natural wonders. 

Pearl exhales as the sliding door clicks shut. She’s alone again, just in time to see the chef she was rooting for get eliminated. She grumbles and sits up, glaring out the glass door. The sun is setting over the horizon, the sky ablaze in brazen pinks and oranges. Pearl sighs, long and tortured. 

“Reverse psychology, my ass…” She grumbles, rummaging around for her swim shirt.

She brings a towel to wrap around any exposed skin, she has it clasped shut over her head like an old maid as she steps out into the sand to find where Callie and Marie have set up camp. Pearl knows it’s marked by a fuzzy purple cooler, like only a grown woman who still shops at Claire’s would be able to find. She finds Callie’s mermaid towel and the cooler coated in faux fur, but no Callie or Marie in sight. Pearl exhales heavily, scanning the crowds of drunken youth partaking in normal beach-ing activities along the surf for that shock of magenta-dyed hair, or at least Marie’s blond head in the golden-hour light. 

Coming up with nothing, she retires to one of the shaded tables set out by the hotel staff over the private beaches, a little farther away from the action. She pulls her knees to her chest and blinks against the bronze light reflecting off the lapping waters. She doesn’t even realize the table is taken until she hears the crinkle of paper to the side of her. She pulls the towel along with the movement of her neck when she turns to inspect her table-mate, who also didn’t seem to realize Pearl’s recent company. 

The girl sitting across the table has sunglasses with wire rims perched upon the bridge of her nose, the sunlight an absolute compliment to the hue of her skin. Pearl purses her lips in envy at the girl’s bare shoulders, her hair pulled tightly back. She’s fully enraptured in whatever book she’s reading.

Pearl squints, tries to read the cover of the book. It doesn’t look like any of those cheap beach reads you can pick up for fifty cents at the supermarkets, like her aunt used to bring along on vacations. 

“Hey, what’s that you’re reading?” Pearl asks mindlessly, wincing inwardly at her incapability to keep thoughts to herself. 

The girl jolts a little at her voice, and she looks up. 

Pearl’s heart drops, pitches into free-fall as soon as she gets a better look at the girl’s face. _It can’t be…_

“Oh, it’s just…” Marina trails off. Her voice has evened out since they last talked. Given, that was at their high school graduation, years ago. “Something I picked up, from… from the, library…” she can’t see Marina’s eyes behind the sunglasses, but Pearl knows they must be darting nervously around, avoiding her immediate gaze. 

Pearl forgets to speak for a moment. “Oh, well. That’s… is it good?” Had the temperature risen exponentially in the past thirty seconds? 

“Oh, yeah! It’s, very interesting, I…” she looks from Pearl to the book. “I, I’m. Yeah.” She turns her gaze back to the novel, but Pearl doesn’t think she’s really reading it.

Pearl is suddenly, rudely reminded of being high on the bus ride to school during junior year, and seeing the most beautiful girl in the world step onto the bus and smile at her when she noticed Pearl’s unabashed stare, the dusting of a blush high on her cheeks. Like she was willing to offer Pearl something she’d never given anybody else. Pearl was certainly hazy that day, but she would never forget that halo that sparkled over Marina’s head, that made her seem unreachable. 

She exhales a light laugh. “So, you still party hard, I can see,” Pearl watches the dying sunlight sparkle over the ocean.

“Of course. Old habits die hard,” Marina chuckles; it’s a more relaxed sound. “Some friends shanghaied me along, said I was crazy for wanting to stay home…”

“Lemme guess, you had work to get done?”

“I have a job, Pearl!” Marina gets defensive, until she sees Pearl’s smirk, head tilted back. “Stop that,” she grumbles.

“Okay, okay, truce? I promise the teasing is off,” Pearl laughs. 

“Fine,” Marina pulls off her sunglasses and her eyes are startling, Pearl’s heart stutters. “How did _you_ get marooned over here, miss high-and-mighty?”

“Some… friends made me come…”

“Let me guess, you wanted to hibernate all summer?” Marina raises her eyebrows. 

“Touché,” Pearl sinks lower into her towel wrapping. Marina nods, returning to her book. 

Pearl watches her read, sunglasses tucked along the spaghetti strap of her tankini top. Marina must realize the gratuitous staring going on, but she doesn’t say a word. 

The sun is almost gone, a sliver of molten gold over the eternal curving horizon; stars begin to glitter in the sky.

“So,” Pearl starts hesitantly, “How’ve you—”

“ _Pearl_!” Callie’s voice cuts through Pearl’s budding hope, and the huge, crushing hug she gets from behind is simultaneously embarrassing. “Reverse psychology’d on your ass! You finally came out to see us!”

“You sweaty dog, git’off me!” Pearl slaps at her, and Marie’s the one who finally frees her, running up and pulling Callie back. 

“Hey, who’s your friend?” Marie asks, nodding to Marina. Callie struggles against her cousin’s grip, trying to whack her into letting go. 

“Oh, uh,” Pearl pulls her towel back into place and looks to Marina, who sports the same smirk Pearl had shot in her direction just a few minutes earlier. Her eyes sparkle, and Pearl scowls at her. “This, is, Marina.” 

“An old friend,” Marina adds sweetly, fitting a bookmark between the open pages of her book and closing it up. “And you are?”

“Marie,” Marie says with a polite smile. “This’s Callie. Stay away from her if you value your attention span.”

“Got it,” Marina laughs lightly. “Nice to meet you, s’good to see Pearl’s found some good friends.”

“Oh, yeah, we’re great friends, all right,” Marie takes Pearl into a choking hug with her free arm. “Peas in a pod, right guys?”

“Uncle! Mercy! I surrender!” Callie gasps. Pearl pinches hard at Marie’s cheek, and Marina laughs. Marie finally drops Callie and slides away from Pearl; Callie falls to the sand with an affronted noise.

“Hey, we were actually about to head to this party going on at one of those places in town, so we were gonna take custody of Pearl so she could come along. Wanna join up? Maybe she won’t be such a snot with someone familiar around.” 

Marina cuts off Pearl’s rebuttal: “Oh, thanks for the offer, but I was planning on lying low tonight… Maybe some other time?” 

“Hey, I can respect that. Offer’s up anytime. Nice meeting you,” Marie nudges Pearl’s towel-covered shoulder. “C’mon, let’s mosey. Callie! Get outta the sand, you idiot.” 

“She’s not an idiot, actually,” Pearl informs Marina. “She just likes playing airhead for the show of it. She’s actually a really talented songwriter.” 

Marina nods. “Interesting. And you?” 

“Me?” Pearl snorts.

“Do you still drum?” 

“Oh, yeah,” she slides out of her chair, “Started learning bass, too.”

“Interesting,” Marina repeats. 

“C’mon, Pearl!” Callie calls, trying to give Marie noogies. 

“I better go… keep them from killing each other,” Pearl shakes her head, and Marina chuckles. “See you around?” 

“See you around,” her gaze lingers as Pearl starts walking away. She offers a half-wave, which Pearl returns with a goofy grin. Marina smiles.

——————

Head-pounding, thought-jamming, spinning out of control doesn’t even begin to describe the sensation Pearl is less _feeling_ , more _getting viciously beaten up by_ when she opens her eyes. She doesn’t quite know where she is, or how she may have gotten there, but her stomach twists and she knows she needs to go somewhere else, and quickly. 

With her cheek pressed to the toilet seat (maybe some semblance of stability will stop her vision from spinning so terribly), the sour aftertaste in her mouth reminds her she is in a hotel room, and that she should never go along with Callie and Marie’s ideas ever again. Trying to remember details of the previous night is more headache than it’s worth, so Pearl focuses on calming her jumpy nerves and queasy stomach; baby steps.

Once she can manage to stand on her own two feet without wanting to fall over, Pearl makes it to the sink and runs the water cold, splashing it onto her face. She looks in the foggy hotel mirror, and she is death on legs. Nevertheless, she offers herself a finger gun and a wink. Fake it ‘til you make it. 

Stepping out into the room again, the first rays of sunlight are breaking above the horizon. She looks around and realizes she had been sleeping on the floor; Callie is splayed spread-eagle over one of the queen-size beds, and Marie is half-hanging off the sofa just in front of the sliding doors. 

Pearl slips past her, stepping out through the sliding doors onto the balcony; the temperature changes and it’s like walking into a solid block of thick, warm humidity from the previous air-conditioned tundra. The air smells like ocean, which almost distracts her from the brutal hangover. Watching the ocean waves lap at the empty beaches, Pearl thinks fondly of aspirin and greasy fast food. A breakfast sandwich at this hour of need would be a godsend. 

“Hey!” A chipper call from below the balcony grates on Pearl’s headache, and she makes a noise of discontent loud enough for the person below to hear. “Oh, sorry… can I come up?”

Pearl peers down and sees Marina smiling up at her like it’s not six thirty in the morning. 

“Why the fuck are you awake?” Pearl’s voice rasps, and her head immediately protests her using it.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she hears Marina laugh lightly, coming around to take the stairs up the side. She sits in the plastic beach chair next to Pearl’s. 

“Why the fuck are you awake?” Pearl repeats.

“I like to walk around in the morning, nobody else’s around and the sun’s not too bad…” Marina adjusts her sunglasses, expression shifting to concern. “How… are you feeling?”

“How does it look like I’m feeling?” Pearl isn’t in the mood to devote energy to kindness, especially not this far before eleven. 

Marina chuckles. 

“Why’re you so concerned all the sudden?” Pearl narrows her eyes and watches Marina raise her eyebrows. She swears this girl was made for direct sunlight; her skin straight up _sparkles_. 

“You really don’t remember?”

“Oh, jeez, if I had a fucking dollar—remember what? Maybe it’s better I don’t,” Pearl grumbles, massaging her forehead. 

“Hm, that reminds me,” Marina reaches around, handing Pearl a plastic takeout bag. 

“What’s this?” Pearl gingerly takes it. 

“Your shirt,” Marina’s smile goes dry. 

“And… why?”

“You took it off and threw it at me.” Pearl winces.

“Was I…”

“Wearing a bra? Yes…” Marina looks away. “A step less catastrophic than it could’ve been.” 

“Oh, motherfucker,” Pearl lets her head hang. “I’m so stupid. How the hell much did I drink?” 

“Well, the shirt came off after seven, but I stopped you before you could get to eight.”

“My hero,” Pearl half-sobs. “Not too many people saw, though, right?”

“I, uh, dragged you off before any real damage was done, but I… um, I couldn’t find your shirt until Callie and Marie came around, so you can keep that one. I assume it’s already seen too much to return to my closet unchanged.” Marina laughs lightly; Pearl looks down at the shirt she’s wearing, she hadn’t even thought to notice that it was about two sizes too big for her. She begins to feel a little useless. 

“But,” Pearl frowns. “I thought you said you weren’t gonna come with us to that party?”

“Oh, I had a feeling something was gonna go horribly wrong,” Marina leans back in her chair. “A sixth sense, if you will. I have a pretty good disaster radar.”

“Especially at a stupid party in a stupid bar on summer vacation,” Pearl grumbles.

Marina laughs. “I guess, yeah.”

In the ensuing silence, Pearl is reminded that she’s supposed to be in immense discomfort; the lightning strikes of pain behind her skull return full-force without anything to distract her. She’s wearing Marina’s shirt, Marina kept track of how much she had been drinking. Here Marina is, sitting next to her, looking out at the ocean with a small smile on her lips. 

“Hey, Marina?” Pearl clears her throat. “I, uh… thanks, for—”

The sliding door slams open and Callie groans dramatically. 

“I fucking hate this,” she complains loudly. “Pearl I’m going to the gas station to get hash browns, and I’m getting you a sandwich. This is not an argument, it’s what I’m telling you.” She looks at Marina and squints, like her eyes won’t focus. “Who’sat?”

“The hangover fairy,” Pearl says, betraying no humor.

“Oh, sweet, thanks for stopping by…” Callie mumbles, flip flops smacking against the deck as she turns down the stairs. 

Marina watches her go. “Will she be okay?”

“Ahh…” Pearl snorts. “She’ll be fine.” She leans against the arm of the chair, reading her head against her fist and letting her eyes slide shut. 

“And you’re welcome, by the way,” Marina’s voice becomes gentler, and Pearl swears her headache lessens at the sound. 

_Marina Iida_. Some crazy lick of fate it must be, for the universe to bring her back into Pearl’s life again. 

**Author's Note:**

> so, if you've been following me on twitter, you may have noticed me talking about how I maaaaybe went a little overboard on some of the prompts (lol) (cries softly) but after careful consideration I've ruled that only one or two of the fics I wrote for this are actually a little overkill or just plain silly, but I had fun writing anyway! The muse speaks to me, pearlina is the mouthpiece. 
> 
> I'll be posting each prompt separately, grouped in a series! i have a twitter, too (blushing emoji): @ octatronica
> 
> ok super long notes over lol


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